


Plausible Deniablity

by pherryt



Category: Ranma 1/2
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 13:35:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5207774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pherryt/pseuds/pherryt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryoga reflects on his feelings for Akane and for Ranma. Does he really love her? If so, how come he can't admit it? Is he just too afraid of confessing that he's really her P-Chan? Seriously though, she had to know that already, right? And did he really hate Ranma as much as he insisted he did...?</p><p>As Ryoga digs deep into himself to find the answers to these questions, Akane and Ranma find themselves doing the same...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1: Ryoga Hibiki

**Author's Note:**

> So originally, this story was about me trying to reconcile how Akane somehow STILL didn't know that Ryoga was P-Chan. It was going to be a 1 part story.
> 
> Then it took on a life of its own. And I found myself expanding that idea and continuing on to explore the whole...why is Ryoga my favorite character ? Cause when you look at his actions (especially as P-chan) you realize he's actually kind of a creep. I mean seriously, on a case by case, episode/issue basis, sure its pretty funny, but when you take it as a whole? It's actually pretty creepy. 
> 
> This makes the second ever fanfic I've written. All 5 parts work out to being only about 16 pages total ( and I'm not entirely sure about the ending. i mean i like what i got, and I'm okay with ending it there, but not sure if other people will be.
> 
> Disclaimers: Yes, there are likely to be cannon inconsistencies. I've only ever been able to get my hands on the first few seasons to watch (and the first 10 books to read)
> 
> Still, I hope the few of you who might read this find it both thoughtful AND amusing. Ryoga's always been my favorite character (like I said), and I never though Akane treated anyone really fairly, but when I thought about some of the stuff Ryoga did, i had to wonder WHY he was my favorite character? So I attempted to explore that too, since it actually works really well into the whole "How does Akane NOT know?" idea. And subsequently it expanded to be a 5 part story (also originally published on my deviantart) So this was a little bit of an exploration on my behalf i guess. 
> 
> More Disclaimers: of course, none of the characters are my own creation ....

Ryoga Hibiki walked down the road like a man with a purpose. Striding forward with long, sure steps, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Unless you looked really close, you wouldn't know that the road was passing unseen before him, and that he was in turmoil.

Ryoga was thinking, and thinking hard, about him and Akane. Did they – could they – have a future together? As much as he professed his love for her, he had to wonder: in the corners of his mind, deep down in his soul, did he really feel the love that he professed? Was his inability to act upon his feelings due to shyness? Fear of discovery? Or were his feelings fleeting and his heart knew what his mind did not?

No, he could not bear to think that his feelings were not real. It hurt too much to think that, so he dismissed that possibility. That left shyness. He almost laughed aloud at the thought. Him? Shy? Real men weren't shy! He, Ryoga, was bold! And afraid of nothing! Well, almost nothing. He had to admit, there were things he was afraid of, though few. That meant the last possibility. He was afraid. Afraid of what would happen when it eventually came out that he, Ryoga, and Akanes' beloved P-Chan were one and the same. In fact, he was amazed it hadn't happened yet.

He froze in place in shock for a second. Was Akane just that stupid? Really, how many times could she coincidentally be knocked out, or turned away or have something pass in front of her vision with just the right timing to obscure the truth of his transformations? Even that idiot from that skating team, what was her name? Mikado Senzubean? No, that wasn't it, but it didn't matter, though the thought of her brought a terror to his heart. She had realized. She had seen what Akane never had – that the collar wrapped around P-Chans neck, that black collar with the pink heart bearing the hated name of Charlotte, had been around his neck as well. How many times had P-Chan appeared wearing the bandana Ryoga was known for wearing around the pigs neck, and Akane never seemed to notice? 

With relief, Ryoga realized that she couldn't be all that stupid. She was a martial artist, and a very decent one at that. If she wasn't surrounded by martial arts freaks like him and Ranma, Shampoo and Mousse and the others, she would have shone – had shone before Ranma appeared. Nabiki had told him the story of how she had fought every boy in her school before the bell would ring and never be late for class, never defeated. Martial Arts wasn't just brute strength or speed, you had to have a certain amount of smarts to use it well. So no, Akane couldn't be stupid. Maybe not a genius, as Ryoga knew he was not one either, but she wasn't stupid.

So how come she didn't know? That left two possibilities. Either she really just didn't know and his luck was holding out, or she wouldn't admit it. But if the second were true, exactly what would that mean?

Maybe…he started to think as his feet started moving forward again. Maybe she didn't want to admit it because of Ranma? She really could have feelings for Ranma, and just simply be blind to all else. Or maybe she had feelings for him and not Ranma but wanted to protect him? Everyone knew that Ranma continued to beat him. His speed was just insane while Ryoga's strength was just that – brute strength. Thinking about Ranma made him stop in the middle of the street again, hands clenched in fists and his eyes squeezed shut, a growl emanating from him so that other people in the street gave him a wide berth.

He hated Ranma more than he hated anybody. Or, his eyes opened in surprise, did he? If he thought about it…if it wasn't for Ranma, he would never have met Akane! And if it hadn't been for Jusenkyou, which if he was honest with himself hadn't been completely Ranma's fault – he would have forgiven Ranma their childhood grudge a long time ago. He'd ignored it at the time, but Ranma had tried to make amends for what he thought was the cause of Ryoga's anger. 

So was his ill-fated sense of direction a curse…or a blessing? Without it, he would never have missed his fight. If he hadn't missed his fight, he would never have felt honor bound to follow Ranma. If he hadn't had that lack of ability to follow a cursed map, he'd have found Ranma long since and never made it to Jusenkyou. And if he hadn't gone to Jusenkyou and had that childhood rivalry turned into a righteous hatred, he'd never have felt compelled to continue the fight even after Ranma made his amends.

Without the need to continue the fight, he probably would have taken the apologies and bread Ranma offered and never looked twice at Akane. And that would have been his loss. So was he still mad at Ranma? Yes, but it wasn't the same anger, and not for the same reasons. If he hadn't become P-Chan he wouldn't have been compelled to follow Ranma, so despite his protests to the contrary, he wasn't as mad at Ranma about that accident as he should have been. 

Because of the cursed form of P-Chan, he'd seen sides of Akane she didn't show to the world, or to Ranma. So how could he hate it completely? And yet, he still couldn't come out and tell her of his feelings, or who he was. If he wasn't so mad about being P-Chan anymore, why couldn't he admit it?

A low rumble of thunder, still a long way off, echoed in his ears and hit his mind subconsciously. With a practiced movement, completely unconscious of doing so, he pulled his umbrella off his back and flipped it open. For a minute or two nothing happened and a few passersby's eyed him oddly. Very soon, though, he was rewarded by light drops hitting the umbrella as he continued to walk and think, unseeing. He was completely oblivious to both the light amount of water coming down around him, or of the old lady who stopped to stare at him incredulously and say to her companion,

"Afraid of a few measly drops of rain? What is this world coming to?"

"Come on, leave the kid alone, it hurts no one."

"You're not going to melt!" she said as she was propelled away from Ryoga, for some reason offended by his preparedness. Ryoga walked onwards under the comfort of his red umbrella, and continued to think about the situation.

It was the way she treated Ranma, he suddenly realized. Everyone seemed to agree that she and Ranma belonged to each other, that deep down, they had feelings for each other that they denied. But Ryoga couldn't believe that. Not with the way she treated Ranma. And yet, he was afraid. What if she felt for Ryoga, the same as she had for Ranma? What if she was just as sickened by the fact that he changed into a pig, as she was that of her fiancé changing into a girl? Was she afraid of what that would make her seem to others? Or did she just dislike those aspects of them so much? Or…his stomach tightened in a sick feeling, almost like he'd been punched in the gut. What he was really afraid of, is what she'd say when she realized he'd been sleeping with her. Everyone knew how she and Ranma had gotten off on the wrong foot – and it actually hadn't been that cursed Ranma's fault, much as it hurt Ryoga to admit it. She blamed his rival for something he didn't do. How could he be the pervert, when it was her that had walked in on him? And Ryoga didn't even have half as valid an excuse, and he knew it. He was dead man the day she discovered his secret, and knew that too.

And that was the real reason he had never admitted to Akane his secret. Because then…he'd lose her. And yet, if he didn't tell her, if he couldn't be a man and own up to it and to his mistakes, how could he deserve her?

Blindly and still in turmoil, Ryoga walked on.


	2. Part 2: Ranma Saotome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Ranma's turn to do a little reflecting, after a disturbing encounter with Ryoga at the Tendo Dojo.

Ranma strolled into the Tendo Dojo and came to a halt, his hearty whistle dying on his lips. Ryoga stood staring at the wall. No, at something on the wall. Warily, Ranma approached him.

"Hey Ryoga," he greeted cheerfully, edging around to see what had caught his rivals' interest. He was staring at a sword. That was odd. Ryoga did not normally use weapons other than his umbrella and even that was rare these days. Ryoga had started to view using objects as a crutch and that he had to better himself in order to beat Ranma. No, weapons were Mousse's specialty. So why was Ryoga reaching out to grab the Tendo family sword?! 

Now much alarmed, Ranma leapt back and into a fighting stance, but something was still off. Ryoga was way too calm. Maybe he should try talking to him, even though he still hadn't responded to his greeting.

"Uh, hey man, whatchya ' doin'?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago." Came the reply from a still strangely calm Ryoga. Getting ready to react, Ranma watched in confusion as Ryoga turned and with sword cradled in his arms, walked right past him. "Don't try to stop me Ranma." His voice was serious and determined, but he never once looked at Ranma.

Confused, Ranma relaxed from his stance and slid bonelessly into a sitting position on his sleeping mat. He'd forgotten to put it away again this morning. He just bet Kasumi was waiting to scold him on that.

Ranma wasn't dumb; at least he didn't think he was. But he'd had such an unusual childhood that he just wasn't good at reading people unless it involved fighting. He'd spent his entire childhood on the move. He knew he had a home with a mom, he'd been there a few times, but his pop had kept them so busy that he couldn't ever remember staying there more than a few months at a time, with years of absence between. So Ranma never got to know anyone other than his pop. And frankly, the old man disgusted him.

It was a good thing Ranma liked martial arts. The old coot was practically desperate to make sure his son was the best, so much so that he'd often resorted to drastic measures. Some of which should, by all rights, have killed him. In fact, Ranma wouldn't be surprised if his pop hadn't made some unwise bet with somebody that depended entirely on Ranma being the best. Ranma still often thought it was a wonder that he was still alive, much less sane, due to those drastic measures his pop had taken.

Wait. Hold that thought. He wasn't so sure he was sane with all the things that had happened in his life lately. His pop had certainly tried some insane – not to mention illegal - training techniques. Some of which could definitely be said to have produced some trauma. Ranma shuddered and his mind skittered past the dark memory of the cat-fu. Despite not remembering much, he could feel the wall of terror that lay beyond it.

So there was evidence that he might not be completely sane. Well, nothing he could do about that. But it hadn't been until his trip to Jusenkyou that his odd and un-constant life had taken a rather substantial turn for the weird. Ranma bet that if he walked up to some stranger on the street and told him any of the goings on since Jusenkyou, he would be locked up without any more proof thought necessary. And he wasn't sure he should be thankful or not that he did have a singularly irrefutable proof that would make them believe what he said.

So he'd gone through his short life so far eating, breathing and sleeping martial arts – which on the one hand, he liked, but on the other, he kinda wished they hadn't had to travel so much to study it. Until now, he'd never even finished a full school year at a single school. The closest he'd ever gotten to friends during that time were usually martial arts buddies or – he smiled ruefully – daughters of the owners of his favorite places to eat.

And then they'd come here. It was the longest he'd ever lived anywhere and despite shifting tensions and all the weirdness, it was starting to feel like…like a home. Though he and his pop were basically freeloaders at the Tendo Dojo as Nabiki and Akane always strove to remind him. Kasumi was a little nicer about it all as she knew Ranma couldn't help what his pop did. He found himself hoping his old man wouldn't suddenly drag them off again. The only catch, of course, was Akane. Ranma never could figure out if she liked him or not. And there it was, that catch – to stay here forever, he'd have to marry her and he didn't want to marry anyone who didn't love him. Or, for that matter, marry anyone he didn't actually love. He wasn't sure entirely, but he didn't really think he liked Akane that way. And he just couldn't tell how she felt! Ranma sat with his arms crossed and a scowl of concentration on his face.

All of which brought his mind full circle to just how he couldn't read people very well at all, when it wasn't about fighting. He cudgeled his brain. C'mon Ranma, he thought. You've stayed in one place and interacted with the same people for a while now. Surely you can start to figure it out from there?

Hmm…Ryoga was strong and good hearted. He was actually a bit shy but he tried to hide it with bravado. He was often impatient as well as stubborn, and proud too, so proud…

Ranma froze in place; his eyes flew open merely a split second before he leapt upward, a look of horror on his face. He raced out of the dojo intent on facing Ryoga and doing what he'd told Ranma not to do: stop him.

"Stupid, stupid Ryoga!" he shouted. "Don't you dare try to kill yourself!" How could he have been so blind? Of course! Ryoga was proud and what had been somewhat bearable to Ranma had become a torture to Ryoga! As stubborn and unrelenting as he was, Ranma genuinely liked the guy. In his mind, though he'd never admit it to Ryoga (he had his pride too) he thought of Ryoga as a friend – maybe even his best friend. They'd been through a lot together and in Ranma's opinion, they'd also gotten stronger and better because of things they'd been through.

Ryoga was the perfect sparring partner for Ranma. He was so determined to beat Ranma, even just the once, that every time he upped the ante, Ranma worked harder to beat him instead of playing down to others levels.

Outside of a rare few, most people couldn't take Ranma even on one of his bad days. And even fewer of those who could did he respect anyway. With all the things his pop had done to him in the name of the greater good (his, never Ranma's) he would never respect the geezer again, even if he once had in his misled youth.

There was Mousse who was nothing but a patsy and a tool to be used and discarded by those Amazons. Mousse, who never would accept the evidence Ranma presented him on how he would not – no, could not, ever be the one to take his precious Shampoo away from him – just his own trauma made that impossible, even if he'd ever been interested.

As for Shampoo, well, nearly everyone he knew had their own agenda, even Ryoga, but she was easily led around by tradition and she was cruel. She didn't care who got hurt as long as she got what she wanted. Ryoga made mistakes, but he owned up to them.

Kuno was stupid, two faced, spoiled and weak. For that matter, his sister was the same with a side of Shampoo thrown in. The only way those two ever got the best of Ranma was with tricks – and that was pushing it.

That left Ryoga, the old ghoul – who was at least honest about what she did and it usually wound up with Ranma learning some neat stuff – and Ukyou. Poor Ukyou was no longer in the same league as everyone else, but she was after Ranma because she truly did care for him and not just because his old man had tricked hers. She was one of the few people Ranma could read, and he was pretty certain of that.

He respected Kasumi, though she wasn't a fighter. She was honestly just nice, still, Ranma couldn't relate to her at all. Soun might have been able to take Ranma, but he had no backbone to speak of. Nabiki was very obviously no fighter but Ranma still respected her, just in a different way. Aside from some little differences between them, he and her usually got along. Akane – well, he still just had no idea about all that. All they ever did was argue and she was always too willing to believe the worst of him. How did that make a good relationship? He just didn't see it. But the rest of the family seemed to or was that just their wishful thinking? Maybe it was just a deliberate attempt to delude themselves? 

Unsure, Ranma raced down the road calling for Ryoga. He had to find him and quick. He'd taken too long already.

Ranma thought he might even understand what had finally driven Ryoga over the bend. It was that whole P-chan thing. Whoever Ryoga ended up with, though Ranma knew he had his heart set on Akane, would have to find out about his curse eventually. That wasn't the kind of thing you could, or should, keep secret from a spouse. At least in Ranma's case, no matter how degrading it felt, society was beginning to accept gender variances these days, so it would be more possible to find someone to accept him wholeheartedly (he hoped!) then Ryoga would, since bestiality – even the appearance or feeling of such regardless of what actually was going on – was still very much taboo in any culture Ranma could think of.

And people cared about appearances even when they said they didn't, or judged others before getting the complete story, as Ranma had good cause to know.

Poor Ryoga! How could he just give up like this? The guy was usually stubborn to a fault, and normally Ranma would have said that Ryoga would have been the last of the local Jusenkyou affected crew to have given up. There had to be a cure for them out there somewhere, Ranma just knew it! Don't give up, Ryoga! I'll help you through this! Ranma vowed silently as he ran on.


	3. Part 3 – Akane Tendo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Akane's turn to reflect on how crazy her life has become since the Saotomes appeared in her fathers Dojo, and the secrets she's been hiding from everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is likely the shortest chapter...this digs in a little bit more on the original concept of the piece.

Akane sighed. How had her life gotten into this mess? She threw back her head as she leaned in the chair at the desk in her small room, staring blankly at the ceiling and relishing the few moments of peace and quiet as she got them, since they were so rare these days.

She knew she wasn't the brightest of the Tendo siblings. No, that was reserved for her eldest sister, Kasumi, though many believed it was the middle sister Nabiki. Kasumi had still been a child herself when she took over the household after their mother had gone. Their father had sunk too far into grief from then on to be spared on anything – even his own children – unless it had something to do with his dojo. All the energy he had left was centered on that. Eventually, it had all become too much for Kasumi, and she'd given up school and was determined that her younger sisters would not have to do the same. But somewhere along the way, something had changed. Kasumi had started acting very…air-headed. Sometimes Akane had to wonder if it was just an act…she wasn't sure but she hoped so. She felt guilty about it all, but she had the feeling that Kasumi played so to keep Dr. Tofu from being brave enough to ask her to marry him so she wouldn't abandon her sisters before they were settled.

And their father just didn't seem to care. As a child, Akane had noticed that he would have nothing to do with her and her sisters, unless it suited him. She had hit on the idea that if martial arts was all he cared about, then that's what she would do. And she had. For some time, she had been under the illusion that she had established a special bond with her father. That he doted on her. That he taught her everything he knew so as to have an heir to pass the dojo down to.

Then the day came when her eyes started to open. It hadn't been an instant realization, by all means. It had been slow, but the crack started when he called his daughters together for the first time and announced that the dojo would finally have an heir – a son of a friend, if he should marry one of them, which he had already promised would happen. He didn't care which and he knew nothing about the boy. Was he good? Was he bad? Was he suitable for taking on the responsibility? None of these things seemed to matter to him in the slightest; he'd been blinded entirely by the idea of a male heir. And Akane resented the fact that she'd simply been a surrogate until such would come along. So when it had all seemed to a mistake, she had felt very relieved.

That was the real reason she resented Ranma. It wasn't because he was a pervert or annoying or anything like she'd been saying since he arrived. After all, it had been her who'd walked in on him in the bath. And as he had rightly noted, they had both seen each other naked, it had not been a one sided deal. Of course the things he said, while very nasty, were simply in retaliation of her behavior. Who could blame him after what she'd accused him of and her attempts to attack him? She'd been so enraged at the thought that he was stealing her father away from her that she hadn't stopped to think about the fact that it really wasn't his fault. But she wasn't going to let everyone know why she was really mad at him. And now, now when she'd finally figured out how little she really mattered to her father and that she could never – was never – the son he really wanted, there was too much between her and Ranma, so much had been said and done, that just couldn't be taken back. She was locked in a pattern where Ranma was concerned and she didn't think she could ever really admit to him why she'd started in on him so unfairly.

The most she could ever be with him was friends. She appreciated how much he tried, as confused as he was. But she didn't think, even without the baggage she'd brought to their engagement, that they should even be together anyway. The things he did for her, when he was being nice, were out of a sense of obligation, or honor. Which often wound up getting confused with his strong sense of pride.

Pride…they all had it in spades, didn't they? For different reasons, maybe, but pride was definitely a big factor in all their behaviors. Because of her own pride, she couldn't admit what was really wrong. Because of her pride and…in a perverse sort of way, because of Ryoga's pride, she'd never had the heart to break it to him that she knew his secret. She hadn't known it at first, of course. And when she'd finally pieced everything together she'd been mortified! At first, she hadn't really known what to do about it, except try to avoid him or play dumb. But playing dumb had seemed so…so…dumb! He'd seen her naked or near naked several times without her being aware and she had been highly embarrassed when she realized that he had, and that he'd slept with her on many nights. But then she started to see the terror in his own eyes when he was P-Chan and how he often during those times he tried to get away. He had tried his best, without hurting her as he well could have done, to avoid being put into the situation she'd put him in. She realized then that it was all her fault. And the way he kept trying so hard to become normal again…

Eventually, she saw that he'd just given up trying to get away, though he never did give up looking for a cure. And the whole time, in his eyes was a mixture of love, terror and despair, and even hope. So she'd been afraid to say anything to him. She was stuck in a pattern with Ryoga as much as she ever was with Ranma and she had no idea what to do about it. She had considered talking it over with her sisters, but she didn't want to burden them. Or provoke an incident with the boys either. They neither one of them deserved what could come down on them all because of the mess she had made of the whole situation. Would anything ever get resolved? She sighed, not while she remained a coward, it wouldn't.


	4. Part 4: Akane Tendo, Ryoga Hibiki, Ranma Saotome & Nabiki Tendo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are revealed as the trio confront each other...followed quickly by some plotting thanks to Nabikis help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest chapter....Gotta love actual interactive dialogue!

Akane found her thoughts interrupted by a knock at her door. For a second, she thought she'd heard a yell in the distance too. There goes my peace and quiet, she thought. She debated just ignoring it, but curiosity got the better of her and she rose to open the door.

She found Ryoga framed in her doorway trying not to loom over her. He didn't do a very good job, she thought to herself with an inward snort. Good thing she was not the type to be easily intimidated. Still, you couldn't help feel for him. He was trying.

"Ryoga, what are you doing here?" she said with some surprise as she realized he held two things – a sword and an envelope. She noticed also that he wouldn't look her in the eye. Uh oh…this couldn't bode well. Ryoga stuttered a bit, but managed to get out the words, 

"Akane, may I come in?"

Akane reflected that for all that he was big and strong and usually very brash, it was sort of endearing to see him so shy and nervous. The kind of man Ryoga was should, and very often did, intimidate anyone less than he, but she was privileged quite often to see the gentle side he showed no one else. To her, Ryoga was simply not intimidating or threatening at all. In fact, he was more likely to cause her harm by accident than on purpose, and while she was wary at those times, she had no real fear of him.

Without a word, she stepped aside and Ryoga took it for the invitation it was. He came in and knelt on her floor and laid the sword across his knees, clutching the envelope in both hands as he tried to raise his head. He was working up to something, Akane felt sure anyone could see that, but what it could be absolutely mystified her.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, as total silence descended on her room, before Ryoga finally, mutely and without ever once looking up, thrust the envelope at her. Slowly, warily, Akane opened it – her curiosity too strong to heed any warning bells. Then, without further ado, she fell to reading.

_"Dear Akane,_

_You know I'm no good with words. Every time I try to tell you something important, I can't get them out. So I hope you can forgive this minor transgression of using a letter to do it, in light of the bigger crime I am sure never to be forgiven for. I just beg you to please hear me out first, though I know I have no right. It is time for me to confess._

_You see, I've been to Jusenkyou. I was so ashamed, that I didn't want anyone to know. Ranma vowed not to tell and he's kept to the letter of the law because he felt honor bound to do so, and I've shamelessly held him to it, even against my better judgment. I couldn't bear for you to hate me, even though with every passing day my silence would make things worse. Don't blame Ranma either. While he did as honor demanded - he kept his silence well - he did try many times to arrange it so you would not be able to miss what I had become. I've never been able to decide if it has been good fortune or bad that he never succeeded._

_But you have a right to know. I cannot claim to be a man and hide it from you any longer. I am your beloved P-chan. Please, I was so ashamed of what I had become, I didn't want anyone to know – and after the first time you brought me to your bed, I was afraid to tell you._

_I am very sorry Akane!_

_If you cannot find it in your heart to forgive me, than I willingly submit myself to you. You may take my life as my punishment._

_Yours always to do with as you will, Ryoga Hibiki"_

Akane finished the letter in a bit of shock. "You want me to what?" she could not help but burst out loudly. "No, I will not kill you! How could you even think that I -" she broke off as Ryoga looked up finally, confused. This was not exactly the reaction he'd been expecting. Far from being outraged over what he had done, she seemed to have glossed over it completely and was more upset over what he'd asked her to do. 

"Are you crazy? Honestly, you're just as obsessed about this Jusenkyou thing as Ranma!" she exclaimed. Calming herself with a little difficulty, Akane looked over at Ryoga – his face a mass of emotions: confusion, determination to see this through, and that look of total expectation of being kicked you sometimes saw in abused dogs. It made her heart hurt to see that last look and it made her wonder what kind of life Ryoga had led before coming here.

The more she thought, the more she realized that this place must be home to him. No matter how lost he got, or how long it took, he always managed to find his way back here. 

Maybe she'd better confess too. It was only fair. He was pouring out his heart and soul to her and she'd already known his deepest, darkest secret. But it was hard. To admit she'd knowingly and willingly let a boy sleep with her – she'd be branded forever if she let that knowledge out.

Her only defense to protect her own dignity, honor and reputation would be for her to deny Ryoga and to cry foul. She flinched inwardly at the thought. Could she really be that mercenary? Could Nabiki have done it? No, she didn't think even her sister would stoop so low. No, Akane was also a martial artist and she, too, had honor.

She dropped to sit in front of Ryoga, the letter still clutched in her own hands. His eyes followed hers down till they were level with each other, he still highly confused but maybe a little hopeful too now. After all, she'd been quiet and calm after the initial outburst.

"Ryoga, I have a confession to make too. And I hope that it doesn't make you think less of me. I've known your secret for a while now and I …just didn't have the heart to tell you. You seemed so….so desperate to hide it, so fearful every time ….I could tell you never meant me any harm and I could never kill you, not when I've been just as guilty as you. It was I who put you into that situation to begin with, though I was completely unknowing of the fact at that time. How could I have blamed you? And I'm so sorry!

"You came here expecting me to hate you - to blame you for my own mistake. What kind of person have I become that you would believe me capable?! I'm so ashamed of myself!"

To Akanes' own shock and dismay, she burst into tears. Ryogas confusion changed to uncertainty and concern as he reached forward a little stiffly to touch her shoulders and attempt to comfort her.

"Don't cry Akane, please? It's all right! I don't hate you at all – just the opposite! I-" Ryoga was cut off as Akane's door was slammed open and Ranma ran in shouting – not quite taking in the details right away.

"Akane! You have to help me find Ryoga! I think he's going to do something desperate! I…uh…what?" Ranma stumbled to a halt as the tableau before him finally registered in his brain. Ryoga knelt before Akane who was crying. The sight of tears made Ranma twinge instinctively. Ryoga was touching Akane and she was crying. Wait, Ryoga wasn't that kind of guy…was he? Once again, Ranma felt doubt enter his mind. Dammit, would he never learn how to read people accurately? "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing Ranma! I swear it – " Ryoga hesitated, not sure how to proceed without hurting Akane. She continued to sob, but the boys realized she spoke too.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm such a horrible person!"

"Man, what is she talking about?"

"Ranma, I've treated you so abominably in particular that I don't see how you can forgive me. Ryoga…" She continued to sob, making both boys very uncomfortable. "Ryoga, take that stupid sword away – I'm not going to kill you or even punish you for something that's my own fault. I should have just owned up to you, to both of you, so very long ago…but I was afraid you'd hate me and what would people think of me? I chide you both on your pride, but look where my own has got me…I'm so sorry…" the sobs finally trailed off as she continued to sit, her hands on her knees and her head bowed, sniffling a bit.

"Man, I'm confused." Ranma said.

"I think I am too." Ryoga replied.

Akane remained silent as she got up to rummage for tissues. Finally, she settled on the edge of her bed, the boys watching every move for a sign on how to continue.

"What's there to understand? I'm a selfish little witch who took it out on Ranma when I didn't get what I wanted and continued to do so every chance I got. And in doing so, I made Ryoga afraid to be honest with me for fear of the same treatment. The whole untenable situation is entirely my fault." She paused a brief moment to use the tissue, then continued, "Ranma, what do you think about our engagement? How do you feel about me?" Akane noted the flash of pain in Ryoga's eyes as he determinedly held his silence.

"Uh, for real? I dunno."

"Do you love me?" She pressed the issue. She needed an answer to be able to proceed with the idea that had seemed to burst brilliantly in her mind for her. She couldn't believe it had taken this long to come up with something workable. Of course, it depended on the feelings of all three of them, and she'd been rather slow to figure herself out.

"Uh…." Usually, Ranma would have felt a bit of panic at the question, but he'd been doing a lot of thinking himself lately, and Akane seemed in a serious, reflective mood herself. "I dunno," he shrugged, "I kinda think that…maybe there's too much bad blood between us for a relationship like that to ever work. Friends yeah, but nothing more."

"I agree. Ranma, if you despise your father the way I think you do…" he grimaced and clenched his fists and she nodded to herself at the confirmation of what she already knew, "As I have also come to despise my own, how would you feel about throwing a monkey wrench in their plans?" A fire lit in Ranma's eyes.

"I love the very idea. How do you plan on doing that?"

"Very simply. We'll break our engagement."

"Uh, Akane, haven't we been trying to do that very thing for a while now?"

"What if I announce my engagement to someone else?"

"They'd contest it. Remember Ukyou and Shampoo and – " Ranma started to list off names but Akane cut him off.

"True, but I have ammo you never had." Akane turned to Ryoga, "What you have long regarded with shame and fear could actually be the key to all of our happiness. Ryoga – I don't know if I love you as much as you love me but I'm willing to give it a shot, are you?" despite herself and her determination, Akane blushed and stumble a bit over the words as she spoke them anxiously.

Ryoga couldn't believe his ears. Today was not turning out anything like he expected – not that he was complaining, mind, but he was so afraid he'd wake up and find it all a dream. He'd remained sitting on Akanes floor while Ranma had gone to perch on the window sill and at her question Ryoga half rose from that position in shock and disbelief. He was a man, dammit, there were not tears in his eyes!

"Akane…" he tried to get out, his voice broke. Ranma wisely kept silent though he was almost as shocked as his sparring partner was. When had Akane developed feelings for Ryoga? Ranma found himself unable to be wise any longer.

"Akane, I hate to break it to you, but our pops will never go for it."

"They will have to when we tell them we've already been sleeping together. For the sake of propriety."

Stunned, Ranma fell off his perching post – backwards, out the window. Akane and Ryoga ran to the window and watched Ranma twitching on the ground.

"Maybe I should have phrased it another way?" she calmly stated. She wasn't really concerned about Ranma's fall. She'd seen him take worse. So had Ryoga. Actually, Ryoga had caused worse.

When Ranma had recovered sufficiently to return to Akane's room, the three of them got down to some serious plotting, broken by Ryoga's occasional stops to check on his reality. It was almost heart breaking to watch as he continued to stumble on his disbelief. It really made Ranma think that maybe none of them had come from one of those normal, loving homes he'd always heard about.

"How long have you known his secret?" Ranma demanded accusingly.

"A while now."

"And you never punished him like you did me?"

"No. And you're right to be angry with me Ranma. The truth was, I was angry about something else when I met you and that whole thing was…was just a convenient excuse at the time. Once started…it was…hard to admit to myself what I had done. I'm not proud of it Ranma. I really am sorry."

Silence descended again as the three of them thought things out.

"Hey, Akane, I found a flaw in the plan – even if you convince your dad to leave you alone, I'm still stuck for it – how does this help all of us?" Ryoga started and looked up, startled out of his most recent check on his reality.

"Yeah, that's right. Your fathers want to unite their houses and Mr. Tendo still has two other daughters and Kasumi'd be a pushover…" Akane and Ranma looked at each other and shuddered, remembering that one time Kasumi had turned the entire household upside down. Anyone who underestimated passive aggressiveness had never gotten on Kasumi's bad side.

"Oh Ryoga, trust me, she's not. As for Nabiki…" Ranma trailed off and a voice spoke from the door they had never heard opening.

"Nabiki has enough blackmail material on daddy dear to keep that fate away from herself. Honestly, why do you think he always pushed Akane at poor Ranma all this time? He knew better than to try Kasumi or I once we'd made up our minds. But Akane…he's betting on daddy's little girl doing whatever he wants in the end, regardless of what she really wants. Its how he's always planned it." Everyone turned to look at Nabiki as she lounged in the doorway in that nonchalant way she usually had. Akane's eyes twitched.

"Oooh, he really makes my blood boil! That bastard…Nabiki, if you knew all this, why haven't ever said anything?"

"What good would it have done? You were ever the stubborn one Akane. You had to realize it for yourself. Kasumi and I have been waiting for that moment to come and it's about time that you did. That, among other things that have been going on. Here, you're going to need this – no charge." Nabiki tossed a plain manila envelope onto the bed, landing between the trio sitting there, and quietly disappeared out the door, closing it behind her.

Ranma, Ryoga and Akane stared at the envelope as if it were a poisonous snake.

"She…said no charge so…it mustn't be anything bad, right?" Akane said.

"She's your sister – she wouldn't do anything bad to you, would she?" Ryoga asked.

"You don't know Nabiki very well, do you? She's a mercenary!" 

"Well Akane, open it. It can't be any worse than the pictures of me and you she's always selling at school, can it?" 

Tentatively Akane reached out for the envelope and opened it. She withdrew a handful of pictures and choked as she looked at the very first one.

"Wh….wha? when? How – NABIKI!"

"What is it Akane?" the boys asked in unison. Wordlessly, and very red in the face, she laid the pictures on the bed and spread them out. They all stared in shock. Ryoga kept thinking only "I'm a man, I will not faint, I will not faint, I will not faint –oh I'm a dead man!"

"Ryoga you poor dumb bastard." Ranma finally ventured. Akane watched Ryoga twitch and wilt, not meeting her eyes as he stared at the photos in more shock than she. "Though you gotta hand it to her, Nabiki's good…."

"That's my sister for you. I'm not even sure how to feel about this – proud of her ingenuity, glad for her foresight, or just plain pissed off for invasion of privacy and, and…." Akane groped as the right words to encompass the situation and all its possibilities just failed her. "Well, with this, we have proof should 'daddy' protest the new engagement."

"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!" Ranma almost cackled gleefully. "When do we spring it on them?"

"Not yet. This is a good start, but I think we need some time to get comfortable with each other so that everything appears natural or they'll believe we staged the whole thing. Which means to get the awkward phase of dating out of the way, we need to go on a trip without the annoying baggage."

"Ooooooh, a trip?" Ranma didn't understand why, but any trip proposed by anyone other than his father never sounded like a bad idea, despite his longing for stability. Maybe because he knew that he would return in a short time, as opposed to his fathers crackpot trips where they might return – in a few years.

"Not you, Ranma. The minute you come along we'll have extra baggage that will just get in the way whether you intend to or not." Akane said firmly. Ryoga just sat in a daze as Ranma started to get defensive. 

"Hey! I wouldn't interfere –"

"Not you, Ranma. But think about it – what always happens when you and I go anywhere together?" she said as gently as she could. She watched comprehension dawn on his face.

"Oh…that would be bad. Where will you go?" He changed tracks quickly, if he couldn't go, maybe he could help them plan it out. He liked the idea of being a conspirator.

"I don't know yet and I don't think we should tell you even when we do make plans. It might be best for us if no one knew where we were going."

Ranma decided to ignore the implied insult that he'd slip up and decided a good old ribbing on Ryoga was needed, he'd just been way too silent this whole time.

"Well, that works. With Ryoga, you'll never get where you were headed anyway."

"Ranma!" Ryoga roused enough to yell and Ranma smirked.

"Deny it!" Ranma yelled right back, pleased with himself.

"Stop it you two! We all have our faults. Ryoga's is better than some others I could name, and I include myself on that list."

Throughout it all, Ranma watched the two of them. Could it be done? He knew Ryoga had feelings for Akane – it'd been a poorly kept secret from just about anybody but his feelings had always been dismissed as inconsequential before today. Now he'd gotten what he'd always wanted – Akane to himself and possibly her love as well, but he seemed paralyzed.

Ranma tried to analyze why. There was doubt there. There was also a highly entrenched sense of disbelief that, what – that anything this good could really be happening to him for once? This coupled with the fact that Ryoga had never had a girlfriend before now and he just wasn't sure what to do, what was acceptable and what was expected from him and also that he didn't want to either disappoint Akane or piss her off, was probably what held him so frozen.

Yeah, Akane was right. She definitely needed to get the two of them alone and away from all distractions and emergencies, so they could finally get a feel for each other as people first, than as betrothed. Ranma smirked to himself. Of course, according to Nabikis' photos, Ryoga had already done a fair amount of that with Akane's cooperation.


	5. Part 5- The trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand....this is it. What I had originally planned, plus a little extra. 
> 
> not entirely sure about how it ended. I've even been asked by a friend on the original posting to go a little further. Not sure what to do about that...or if there'd be any interest. This is only my second story on this site, but I haven't really gotten any feedback yet on whether people are enjoying them or not. (well, to be fair, since this story was completely written already, I posted it all at once and nobody's had a CHANCE to give me feedback...)
> 
> But please, let me know what you think??

In the end, to keep their respective parents unsuspecting, they'd all arranged to go on what was supposedly some extra curricular school club trip – they never did say which one – so they could leave at the same time. The plan was for a month. Their parents never even checked up on it! Once packed, they left the house and then split, going in 2 different directions. Ranma and Nabiki met up with the others: a few casual friends from school, followed by the usual taggers on – Ukyou, Shampoo, Mousse and unfortunately, the Kunos. 

To explain Akane's absence, they gave the excuse that she had gotten sick and had to stay home. Of course they were hard pressed to keep Tatewaki Kuno from charging to the Tendo Dojo to take care of his fair maiden in her hour of need. In fact, Nabiki and Ranma had to resort to the methods of using the pig tailed girl to curtail his eagerness to tip off the parents – not that he knew that's what he'd be doing.

They explained Ryoga's absence by simply saying he'd gotten lost – again. Everyone believed that, and nobody else seemed to care, Ranma noted sadly.

For his part, Ranma felt unnaturally free for the first time ever. He was no longer engaged – even if only three other people knew that right now – and he was out from under the old coots thumb. And without his fiancé around, maybe the other girls would cool it a bit and let him relax and enjoy a vacation for once? Yup, for Ranma, things were actually starting to look up a bit.

In the meantime, Ryoga and Akane were in the process of getting lost and thoroughly enjoying it. Ryoga couldn't believe just how enjoyable it was, either. Usually he got lost because he was pre-occupied or lost in thought. Then he'd get mad at himself which would make matters worse and the simple embarrassment he felt at having to ask directions – especially if it was the same person again and again – made it hard for him to concentrate on what they were saying, making things even worse than worse.

But Akane didn't get mad. She viewed it as an adventure. "Besides," she said, "If we don't know where we're going, they can only find where we've been."

"Huh?"

"Without a destination, all my father could do, if he should get suspicious, is to follow us instead of cutting us off, so we should get plenty of that alone time we're out here looking for."

"Oh, that makes sense." He grinned ruefully, "Gee, you're really smart Akane. I think you're smarter than me."

"That's not true, Ryoga, we just have different strengths. Speaking of which – " Akane hit on an idea to help keep him relaxed, "Do you think while we're out here you could train me a little? How did you ever get to be so strong? I miss sparring." She sighed.

It was the right move. As they traveled Ryoga kept showing her little tricks and tips and various exercises and he got more and more relaxed, enough that their conversation just flowed naturally from one topic to another. Akane even got him to open up about his childhood, neglected as it had been, after relating her own recently dashed hopes and dreams. Things she had never told anyone else.

"We're none of us normal, are we?" Was Ryoga's conclusion, unknowingly echoing other such conclusions already arrived at by the others. "By the majority of the held standards in many countries, we had abnormal, neglected or abusive family situations which caused us to be different from the other children and their families, which was the start of the problem, I'd say."

Akane nodded. "And when we had trouble relating to anyone normal, we'd latch on to anyone like us just to feel normal."

"But because none of us actually were, in reality, we were compounding the problem, getting ourselves more out of touch and into situations most other people would not have."

"And it escalates exponentially. Do you realize how abnormal all our adventures are? How everything odd always happens to us and how they increase in number and get worse in how ridiculous they are the more of us are gathered together at one time? I am absolutely positive that things didn't start to get this ridiculous until Ranma popped into my life because with him came along all the rest, like moths to a flame."

"He does certainly attract a great many people and strange events." Ryoga laughed and Akane joined in.

"Ah, but this is nice. I like a little excitement now and then but for once it feels wonderful to have some simple peace and quiet."

"I agree." Ryoga leaned back on the grass with his arms folded beneath his head. They were taking it pretty leisurely and had just finished a nice little picnic in the surprisingly warm spring sun. Akane lay back on the grass and rested her head on his arm. It was a measure of how relaxed they'd gotten together that she had done it naturally and without even thinking and that he had neither panicked nor jumped. They lay comfortably just watching the clouds move lazily across the amazingly blue sky.

Ryoga smiled contentedly. He couldn't ever remember feeling like this. He'd been deliriously happy on occasion but this - this was a contented warmth, something that stayed rather than burning through his system and leaving him morbidly depressed.

He'd decided some days ago that if this were a dream, he wasn't going to spoil it by worrying about it. He wouldn't waste a minute of it and he'd enjoy the dream and his time with Akane as thoroughly as possible first, and maybe when he woke up, he'd have some pleasant memories. That was Ryoga's new philosophy on life.

He wondered how well it would hold up when they'd returned to being around the people they knew. It had to work, right? All the girls would be happy that Akane was out of the way, so they'd leave him and her alone, wouldn't they? Tatewaki Kuno might be a nuisance but, well, he was just that. Ryoga could take him. Maybe if they guy wasn't nearly so dumb, he could use the strength and skill he'd achieved and be a challenge, but as it was Ryoga wasn't too worried about him. That left his greatest challenge right where they'd already pinpointed it: the parents. Speaking of parents, Ryoga wondered what his would think, or if they cared. Shrugging mentally he figured they didn't, nor did it matter to him any more if they did. He was his own man now. No, that was wrong, he was Akane's man now and the thought made him supremely happy.

Don't wake up, he told his brain. I deserve some happiness, don't I? I don't care if it's all a dream. I'm perfectly happy just like this….his eyes closed, a smile curving his lips as he and Akane snuggled in and dozed comfortably on the perfect spring day they had found.


End file.
